a new hobby emerges....

I can finally post pictures of a new hobby I've taken to recently. After receiving a gorgeous handmade baby gift from a girlfriend back home, I decided I needed to figure out how to make my own adorable embroidered baby gifts! See hers HERE.

To start, I visited Sublime Stitching and ordered the "La Petite Embroidery Kit". It includes everything you need to get started, plus a pattern pack of your choice. I also ordered a few more patterns, thinking I may as well have them all shipped together. The kit came with 4 colors of embroidery floss, but I decided to go to Micheal's for a few more, and found they're only 35 cents a piece! So, I picked up a bunch of colors I like, and got to work!

My first project was a monkey onesie for a friend's son (he turned 1 on the 4th of July but his party was last weekend). I'm having a lot of fun with the patterns. I picked up some plain white onesies at Babies 'R' Us to get started with. I'll post more pictures soon, but here is the first finished product!

july 19 = pure bliss

I sit here and type this, smack in the middle of july, with the windows open, cool breeze blowing the curtains and birds singing. Wow, it just can't get better than this! 75 degrees in Nashville, in JULY!? The past two days have been absolutely amazing. The weather is just incredible. I wish this would go on forever.
We had an amazing morning at RHCC, and lunch with friends at Panera afterward. So great to hang with fun people on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Need to get things moving in the way of nursery furniture, painting, etc. but that will just have to wait. Off to enjoy what's left of this amazing afternoon with my husband!

Food, Inc.

On Saturday afternoon, Chris and I went to see Food, Inc., a documentary just released about large food corporations (specifically meat processing and packing). As someone who has been generally interested in, and skeptical of, meat processing here in America, I didn't need much convincing that there is something incredibly messed up about the entire system. I buy local fruit and vegetables whenever possible, as well as free range eggs, organic chicken, and grain-fed beef whenever possible. I had to turn away at quite a few of the scenes depicted in the movie. Mainly, I just felt outrage about lack of consumer knowledge, and even more-so about the way that these large corporations view the general public and their right to know.

There we so many take-home messages. I know lots of people (I mean I personally know) lots of people who buy things solely on the basis of price. I'm not saying this is in every case wrong, but there are still so many ways to make better choices. I was once told that "you don't have to support the ideas of a company just because you purchase things from them." I must say that I wholeheartedly disagree with that. When you purchase a product, or from a store, you are voting for them. You are saying what they do is okay by you. I feel strongly that it is important to support local agriculture, as well as businesses that have ethical practices. You don't have to pay a fortune for quality food, you just have to be particularly aware of the things you are buying and look for sales.

-buy things at farmer's markets and from road-side stands
-buy things in season
-join a local CSA (go to localharvest.org)
-when you can't buy organic, buy things you can take the skin off of (bananas, melons, etc.) vs. what you eat with the skin on (apples, berries)

I highly recommend seeing this documentary, if for nothing else to at least become more educated about the foods we partake of and put our trust in.

bigger and better (well, mostly)

Blogging has gone by the wayside. I must admit, having not blogged for several, several weeks....I am officially a horrible blogger. My sincere apologies for my 3 friends/family members who actually check my blog expecting updates. Traveling for several weeks in june really put the whole blogging thing on hold. That, plus I've been twittering too much. stupid twitter. it's addicting. You can type short phrases over the course of the day without having to come up with an entire entry. The sheer brilliance of it!

Chris and I had our 28 week appointment yesterday, at which I had to drink a nasty lemon-lime flavored (glucola) drink for testing for gestational diabetes. Fun. Then I had to get my blood drawn 1 hour later. Not so fun. Haven't heard anything back, so I'm assuming I am okay on that end. I am, however, slightly anemic...and may need to start taking iron supplements in addition to my regularly scheduled prenatal vitamin.

After much consideration, i've decided not to have another ultrasound done unless it's advised or necessary. I guess God has been working on me, and I'm just putting this entire pregnancy and baby in his miraculous, life giving hands. She's movin' and shakin' all day, every day, which has also given me peace that she is doing just fine. It's so hard knowing that I have no control over her well-being at this point, other than to do my best to take care of myself (and her in turn.) Wow, I never thought pregnancy would be this complicated....

Chris and I are officially done traveling until Christmas (though we may take a weekend getaway here in the next month or so....). Can't believe she could be here in 10 weeks! Wow! We cannot wait to finally start our life together with her! We have family visiting in August and September, and we're always looking forward to having visitors. The nursery at this point is a jumbled mess of disassembled baby furniture. We have yet to pick out bedding, or paint, or anything of that sort! We probably should get going on some of that in case she decides to show up early. The next two and half months will fly by! Here are some 27 week belly shots. And one last apology for the long hiatus. Love to you all!